Electric switch.



M. GUET'I.

ELECTRIC SWITGH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.7, 1906.

943,016. PatentedDec. 14, 1909.

es: 122061122)? z m'rzz %Wm struction. Fig. 3 is a rear view UNITED STATES Parana. OFFICE.

MONROE GUETT, OF HART-FORD, CONIgTECTICUT, ASSIGNOB TO THE HART & KEGENAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF HARTFQRD, GONNECTICUT, A GOBPORATIGN OF CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Specification 1 nemrsrmnt. P t nt d De 14, 1909.

I Application filed February 7, 1996. Serial No. 299,929.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MONROE Guam, a citizen of the United States of America, residing Hartford,-in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to electrical appai. ratus, particularly to what are known as contact fingers is illustrated. These fingers are introduced into. the receptacle through apertures in the face plate.

The part-'cular object of the invention is to provide means for closing these apertures iii the face plate when the plug is withdrawn and so constructing the closing devices that the act of inserting the plug will open them.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a general front View of a plug receptacle as it appears when installed. Fig. 2 15 a side view of the same with parts broken away to show conshowing the shutters in closed position. Fig. 4: is a view similar Fig. 3 showing the shutters in open position with the plugs iiiserted. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the face plate through one of the apertures f. v

In ordinary use the receptacle ais mounted in a recess in the wall or floor or wherever desired and is covered by an ornamental face plate b which is secured to the receptacle as by the screws 1). Within the receptacle are secured'contacts 0 c ada ted to receive the plug. The plug 01 is equipped with the two contact fingers e 0'. These fingers are surrounded by insulation 0 except at their ends in order to avoid a short circuit at the face plate, and are'connected with the line wires at the interior of the body part d. The face plate has apertures f f in alinement with the contacts 0 0 in the recep tacle. The contact fingers on the plug are passed through the apertures f f and forced of this plate into electrical connection with the contacts in the receptacle to carry the current out to the light or other device to which theplug is attached.

It is important that the apertures in -the face plate shall be closed when the plug is removed as these receptacles are very often placed in the floor and become very quickly clogged with dirt which might either shortcircuit the switch or hinder the plug in making a good contact. I accomplish this result by mounting a pair of shutter plates 8 s on a common pivot t at the rear of the face plate, providing a spring a to force the plates toward one another and a stop 0 to cause the plates to meet. at about the central line of the apertures; these apertures are countersunk as are the contiguous edges of the shutter plates lying immediately below the apertures, as clearly indicated at w. The points of the plug fingers are conical as seen at c. When the plug is to be inserted in the receptacle the fingers are pushed through the apertures causing the shutter plates to separate, as shown in Fig. 4, and permitting the passage of the fingers down into the receptacle. Upon the withdrawal of the plug the spring it returns the shutters to normal position closing the apertures.

I am aware that a number of shutter de vices have been designed having in view the choral object of my invention but it is to be noted in respect of my device that the presence of these shutters in no way alters the manipulation of the plug from what it would be if the shutters were not present and that the constructions of the plug and the receptacle are not changed from what they would be if the shutters were not present.

I claim as my invention:

1. A face plate for plug receptacles and the like having separate apertures, a pair of shutter plates pivotally supported on a common axis between said apertures, each plate including two members movable transversely of and adapted to partly close said apertures, and means for normally causing said plates to close said apertures, substantially as described.

2. In an electric switch the receptacle, contacts therein, a face plate having separate apertures in alinement with said Liontacts, a plug, and separate contact fingers adapted to pass through said apertures. and to close said apertures, substantially as-de- 10 scribed. v

In testimony whereof I alllx my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

MONROE GUET'I.

Witnesses:

H. E. HART, K. I. KIENNENDAIIL. 

